Memories Revisited
by slytherincrush
Summary: Dani Mayweather-Black, Cassie Mayweather's young niece, is her aunt's guest for the summer. She soon finds out there will be another guest: soon-to-be paroled convicted murderer, Justin Pendleton. What memories of Justin terrify Dani? A love story...
1. Guest

"But Aunt Cassie, why? Why would you let that…that creepy murderer into your home? What if he…what if…" 25 year old Dani spluttered, her face turning red with frustration. _She's finally lost it,_ Dani thought to herself furiously. _All those investigations must have finally gotten to her. Of all the people to have to face...why does it have to be_ him?

Cassie sighed and looked at her niece, completely understanding her reservations with being in the same vicinity as Justin Pendleton, the convicted murderer who was being released that day from the State Prison on parole. Nobody really understood Cassie's desire to help Justin, not even her partner, who incidentally swore that as long as Justin was staying with Cassie, he was camping out in a car in front of her house at night.

She had received a great deal of flack when she had started to visit Justin in jail and then when she had spoken with her friend at the Drake Inn and convinced him to hire the boy upon his release. But she just felt a connection with him, felt she understood him. She was, in a sense, just as alone as he was. Justin had never met his father, and as for his mother, she had made it clear that she didn't want anything to do with him, not that she ever had. Cassie, in a way that she couldn't clearly express to anyone, felt close to Justin. _He would have made a brilliant detective,_ she thought sadly, a wistful smile playing on her lips.

Dani gasped in annoyance. "Aunt Cassie! This is not funny! How could you have not told me this when you invited me to stay for the summer? I won't stay in the same house as him: I won't!" She clenched her fists at her side, glaring at Cassie. Cassie smiled at her sadly, unable to help feeling a rush of love for the girl. Dani's mother, her sister Claire, had been killed when they were younger, and Dani had been just a child at the time. She had never really known her mother, but if she had, Cassie thought to herself, she would know that she was just like her: her long, dark, fly-away hair, and her blazing black eyes. Her passionate personality.

"Dani," Cassie said, moving over to put her arm around her niece's shoulders, which she could feel were trembling. "It's only for a week, until his new job at the hotel starts, then he'll live there, on the premises. He's served his time, Dani. And he really is, for all his mistakes, a very interesting person. And I know you, Dani. You have a heart of gold. I know you can be ok with this." Dani sniffed, tears stinging at her eyes, and she pushed away from her Aunt, turning her back on her.

"Interesting person? Yes, Aunt Cassie, I remember him. Don't forget, we did go to High School together, although I'm sure he doesn't remember me," she said bitterly. Cassie put her hand on Dani's shoulder.

"Is that what this is about? Dani, talk to me. Are you upset about something that happened in High School? I didn't know you two were friends: it was a big school. And since the murders happened just after you moved away with your Dad, we never really talked about it. Let's talk about it now, ok?" Dani turned towards her, tears running down her face, and Cassie pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry. What is it? Tell me what you're afraid of. Did Justin ever hurt you?" Cassie handed her a tissue from the kitchen table and Dani sniffled into it.

"No, not exactly. I never even talked to him. But I used to…" Cassie's eyes widened as Dani blushed. "I…I used to watch him a lot. I always wanted to talk to him, but I was scared. He was always so smart, and I was sort of afraid of him. And then when I heard about what had happened, I just couldn't believe it. I just couldn't…" Dani sniffled again, swiping at her eyes impatiently. "I just couldn't believe it. And I cried for a long time." She looked at Cassie helplessly, her eyes pleading for understanding. Cassie nodded sympathetically, reaching for Dani's hand as she continued. "Dad didn't know what was wrong with me, and I couldn't tell him. But I haven't stopped thinking about him," she whispered, looking lost. "And when you told me that you had been visiting him, I just felt…terrified. For reasons I can't even understand myself." Cassie sighed and reached to hug her again. She felt Dani trembling in her arms.

"Dani, I didn't know you…always liked Justin. I do understand your fears. But give him a chance. It was a horrible thing he did, and you don't have to forgive him. But try to deal with it, ok? I want you here with me." Dani nodded and Cassie smiled. "I'm going to get him now. Will you be here when we get back?"

"Yes," Dani mumbled. "But you better believe I'm sleeping with a kitchen knife under my pillow." Cassie sighed, before leaning to kiss Dani on top of her head. She grabbed her keys and walked out of the house.

Dani listened to her Aunt start the car, burying her face in her hands, unable to stop the memories from flooding her mind.

_"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" Justin asked her. Unable to answer, or look away from his blue, blue eyes, Dani nodded dumbly, feeling her palms start to sweat as Justin smiled at her. _

_"It is taken?" he asked, amused. Dani gasped, turning red, and shook her head. _

_"It isn't taken?" Justin asked, still smiling. Dani wildly glanced around at the noisy cafeteria, hoping nobody was witnessing her make a fool out of herself. She looked back at Justin as he slid into the seat across from her. _

_"You're in my chemistry class," Justin said conversationally, taking an apple out of his lunchbag and biting into it. Dani stared at him, willing herself to say something, anything._

_"Yes," she stammered. "Chemistry." She felt her face turning even redder. Justin stared back at her curiously, still smiling slightly. _

_"Am I making you nervous?" he said with a grin. _

_"Yes," Dani blurted out. He laughed and she cleared her throat nervously. "I mean...no, of course not. I...see you later," she mumbled, closing her eyes briefly in embarrassment before she got up from the table, practically running to the nearest exit. She never saw Justin staring after her, still smiling. _

Dani felt herself begin to sweat as she gave in to these memories of Justin...

There was the field trip to the museum...that asshole, Richard. _So glad it was him that died and not Justin,_ she thought crazily_._

_"Quit it, you retard!" Dani yelled at Richard, who was following close behind her, stepping on the backs of her sneakers as the group made their way through the museum hallways. Richard snickered. _

_"Why is it that you're the only one who talks that way to me, Dani baby? You should be nicer to me." Dani turned around to glare at him, grinning at her. _

_"Don't call me baby, you creep." she hissed at him. " And why should I be nice to you? You've been mean to me since we were five years old, rich boy." The other students in the class hooted and laughed. Richard only grinned. _

_"I'll bet you'd be nice to me if I was...you know who," he said teasingly. "The boy you're in love with.We all see you staring at Justin as if you want to eat him like an ice-cream sundae," he said, motioning to Justin, who was kneelling down next to a floor sculpture, examining it. He looked up when Richard nudged him with his foot, glancing at Dani's furious blushing face with mild interest and a hint of a smile. _

_"Justin, my friend, didn't you just tell me the other day you thought Dani was...how did you put it...cute, although...so nervous that it's painful to watch?" As Richard and his friends laughed, Dani felt as if she wanted to sink into the floor, she was so embarrassed. Justin frowned at Richard disapprovingly, then glanced at Dani's blushing face, sympathy in his eyes. _

_"Richard, don't be such a dick, leave the kid alone," he said softly, getting up and moving over to the next room display, Dani watching him miserably, thinking how he would never be interested in a joke like her..._

Now, as Dani sat at the kitchen table of her Aunt's small house, she thought to herself how ridiculous life was. _Why now_, she thought, _after all these years, after all that has happened. Why?_ And as she picked up the latest horror novel she was reading from where it was lying on the kitchen table, she tried desperately to ignore the fact that she was waiting to see him. Waiting with all her heart.


	2. Safe

When Cassie had told Justin that her niece, Danielle, was visiting for the summer, he had been surprised to say the least. Danielle Mayweather-Black_._ _Mayweather-_Black_. It's Dani. She's that really shy girl who had a crush on me in high school_…he thought to himself in amazement. Never before had he made the connection between Cassie and Dani: Dani had moved away just before everything had happened. But while Justin had never really become friends with her, he of course remembered her. _She was sweet_, he thought. _She was scared of me. She always was scared of me._ Justin's heart sank as he realized she may still be scared of him, but for entirely different reasons. He wondered how much she had changed, and was not surprised to realize that he was the one who was now scared of her. He hadn't talked to a girl in about 8 years, not since he had gone to prison.

Now, as Justin sat beside Cassie on the drive to Cassie's home, he looked out the window, feeling lost. Nothing felt real. He couldn't believe he was truly free. His perception of freedom had certainly changed since high school. He realized now what true freedom was. It was walking at night, eating whenever you wanted to, touching someone for real, and not through glass. Cassie had reached out to him, to his amazement. He glanced over at her and she smiled at him encouragingly. She had been great to him: helping fight for his early parole, using her influence as the detective on the case, even finding him a job and a good therapist.

But Justin felt afraid. He knew what people thought of him. He had always been sort of a loner, but right now he was glad to have Cassie by his side, glad to be welcomed into anyone's home, even, ironically, that of the woman who had put him behind bars. He knew from the years he had spent in therapy while in prison that what Cassie had done for him had been a blessing. She had made it possible for him to get help, to reform. The terror that reformation was ultimately impossible scared him so badly though, that he could taste the fear. He had got out early because of a few reasons, all of which seemed not good enough to Justin: good behavior, several therapists that Cassie had asked to speak at his appeal regarding Richard's manipulation and his mother's abusive behavior, among other reasons. He felt as if he had cheated death, but he couldn't deny that he was happy to be out. As the car pulled into the driveway, his heart started to beat faster for some reason. Cassie must have sensed his nervousness.

"It's ok, Justin. This is the beginning of a new chapter. I know it must be strange, but you have to start somewhere. Right?" Justin nodded.

"I know. What about…Dani? Is she…scared to have me in the house?" Justin asked, sounding miserable. Cassie smiled at him curiously.

"To tell you the truth, she does have some reservations. But from what she told me, she used to…" here Cassie seemed to realize something and stopped. Justin stared at her, waiting. "Never mind," she finished and smiled. "She's fine with it. It's only for a week. Maybe you two will become friends." Justin managed a small smile.

"Maybe," he said, as they got out of the car and walked towards the house.

As Cassie opened the door, Justin looked past her to see a neat little kitchen area. Cassie turned to him as they walked through the house. "Well, make yourself at home. I stocked the fridge, and you'll be staying in the small guest room, right across the hall from Dani." She pointed at the door. Just then the door to Dani's bedroom opened and Dani stepped out, stopping short and gasping when she saw Justin. The two stared at each other, and Cassie couldn't help but feel the almost palpable energy pass between the two.

Justin stared at Dani, her dark hair up in a messy ponytail, strands and wisps falling in her face. _Still that little turned-up nose_, Justin thought, unable to stop himself from smiling at her. _Still that same expression, like she's about to pass out from anxiety. Same big brown eyes. _As soon as he smiled at her, Dani felt her face heat up. She felt she had gone back in time, to another decade, as she tried to form a sentence, a phrase, a word.

"I'm going to start dinner," Cassie said, smiling and walking back towards the kitchen, leaving the two standing and staring at each other.

"Hi, Justin," she whispered, her voice shaking. They continued to stare at each other.

"Hi Dani," he said softly. Suddenly her bottom lip started to tremble and her eyes filled up with tears.

"Do you…do you remember me?" she said, a tear sliding down her face, which she swiped at, embarrassed. Justin's face fell and he stepped closer to her.

"Of course I remember you," he said, wanting to touch her but knowing it wouldn't be right. She sniffled and looked down.

"Listen…I just wanted to say…only wanted to…" she struggled and Justin waited patiently for her to finish, again unable to keep the smile off of his face, so happy she was just talking to him, he didn't really care if what she had to say was bad. "…I only wanted to say…I'm glad you're ok. Glad you're safe and…stuff," she finished lamely, blushing fiercely. Justin sighed, feeling as if he had been holding the breath in for a long, long time. He looked at her, standing there helplessly, and he suddenly felt warm all over.

"Thank you, Dani. That's so nice of you to say," he said, feeling his hand reach out, as if it had a mind of it's own, to touch her cheek. As his fingers brushed her skin, she jerked her head away as if she'd been burned, blushing even more deeply.

"Oh…you know, it's nothing…" she mumbled, trailing off. She looked at him once more, her eyes speaking volumes, although she couldn't seem to say anything more. They stared at each other a while longer before Justin spoke.

"So what do you do now?" he asked. She cleared her throat nervously, leaning back against the wall, looking down as she spoke.

"Well, I'm just here for the summer. I'm working at the day care at the Y down the street. After that, I'm not sure. I was doing the same thing at home, but I think I'd like a change, so I don't know." She paused and looked up at him shyly. He smiled at her.

"So you're going to be working at Drake's?" she asked hesitantly, and he nodded. "Well…that's…good, right?" she finished lamely. He nodded, still staring at her.

"Do you know what I remember about you?" he suddenly asked softly. Dani's face fell and Justin laughed at her expression of dismay.

"Oh, God, what you _remember_ about me? No, I don't know and I don't want to know," she mumbled, hiding her face in her hand. "I'm sure it's embarrassing," she added, sneaking a look at him.

"No," he said, chuckling. "No, I don't think so. I was remembering the time you helped me pick up my books outside of the art room. I'm sure you've forgotten about it."

Dani stared at him speechless, her expression softening. Yes, she remembered…

_As Justin stood looking at the bulletin on the art room door, his books, which were loosely held in the crook of his arm, were suddenly pushed to the floor. The papers in his loose leaf notebook and in his art folder flew everywhere. Richard and two of his friends were walking away laughing, Richard turning to smirk at him. Justin had rolled his eyes in irritation. As he bent to pick up his books and papers, he saw another, smaller pair of hands reaching for them too. As he stood up, Dani handed him the books and papers she had neatly piled. She refused to look at him as he said "Thanks, Danielle." "You're welcome," she had mumbled, ducking her head and walking away down the hall quickly. _

Dani nodded at him and sighed, and he knew she remembered. He smiled. "It was sweet of you to help me," he said. She shrugged, embarrassed.

"No, it wasn't anything, really." Suddenly Cassie appeared around the corner.

"Anyone hungry?" she said brightly. Justin and Dani were still staring at each other. Cassie narrowed her eyes suspiciously, suddenly thinking that maybe a week was longer than she had thought. She smirked and cleared her throat, and the two looked up startled as if they had just noticed she was standing there. Justin was the one to blush this time as Cassie walked over and threw her arm around his shoulders.

"Come on, Justin, I'll bet you'd like a beer," she said, grinning at Dani who for some reason was scowling at her. Justin laughed.

"A beer sounds great," he said, as Dani followed them into the kitchen.


	3. Night

Dani peeked through the curtain of her bedroom window at Justin, who was sitting on the porch reading one of the books she had lent him. It was a mystery novel that Dani herself just couldn't get into. _Not trashy enough_, she thought with a smile. Justin's hair was shorter than it had been in high school, and lighter than she remembered it. But his lips, his eyes…they were the same. As she watched Justin, she felt as if she were back in high school, not really caring if he even spoke to her, as long as she could just look at him. After all he had done, after all the horrible things he had done, things so horrible that she didn't know how he could live with himself, it still felt good to watch him, still made her happy just to be near him.

She sighed, thinking to herself, _Dani, you're crazy. He murdered someone. He planned and executed a murder. There's no excuse for that, no matter how Richard or his mother treated him, no matter what the doctors are saying. _Another small voice inside her head answered: _But you forgive him, Dani, don't you? You still care about him, no matter what he did. You still want him, don't you? _Dani sighed. _Oh, shut up,_ she told the voice wearily as she let the curtain fall, flopping back down on her bed and staring at the ceiling.

Dani had spent the last few days trying desperately to avoid Justin (and failing miserably), horrified at how happy she was that he was here, baffled by the fact that his crime hadn't changed the way she felt about him. She decided that there must be something seriously twisted and wrong with her. It was just that the way he looked at her…the way it made her feel when she was near him. She wanted to be close to him, to tell him how she felt, but she knew that wasn't possible, since she couldn't express it, even to herself.

The other night, when Cassie had been out of the house for the first time, working in the office, her partner Sam had insisted on parking in front of the house. Dani and Justin had been sitting together in the living room watching a movie when they saw the car pull quietly up, Sam staying in the car, peering through the windshield grumpily. Justin had looked at Dani, his expression somewhere between embarrassment and sadness.

"I don't blame him," he said quietly. Dani looked down, embarrassed herself. She didn't quite know what to say. She wanted to lean over to Justin and throw her arms around him, tell him that she trusted him no matter what and also that she loved him, and also that he was beautiful and would he please, please never ever leave because she would miss him desperately…Dani shook her head to clear it of her ridiculous thoughts and looked up at Justin guiltily. Something in her eyes made Justin's expression soften, and she blushed.

"Don't let Sam bother you," she mumbled, biting her nails. "He just…"

"Doesn't trust me in this house with you," Justin finished with a sigh. Dani sighed too and nodded, looking up at Justin sadly.

"Yeah, pretty much," she said quietly. "I guess you'll be dealing with that quite a bit from now on." They stared at each other for a few minutes before Justin spoke.

"Dani, are you afraid of me too?" he asked hesitantly. "You are, aren't you? It's ok. You won't hurt my feelings," he added. Dani paused, still biting her nails nervously, starting to blush even more deeply.

"Well…yeah, I am," she said, embarrassed. "But, then, I've been scared of you since about 10th grade." She snuck a look at him, and after staring at her for a few seconds, Justin began to laugh. Dani finally managed a smile.

"That's the first time I've felt like laughing in years," Justin said, still chuckling. "Thank you." Dani rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I'm hilarious, it's true," she said dryly. Justin grinned at her.

"I do seem to remember you having a difficult time carrying on a conversation with me," Justin said, getting up from the chair where he was sitting and moving to sit beside Dani on the sofa. Dani's mouth instantly felt dry as her heart began to beat faster. Justin reached over to touch her cheek, as he had his first night there, and this time she forced herself to remain still. She nodded, holding her breath. He smiled at her sadly.

"You're so sweet. I don't know why you don't seem to hate me now, though," he whispered, gently stroking her cheek, feeling it burn beneath his fingers. "Even I hate me. I shouldn't even be here: I should be dead." She tried to answer him, to tell him he was wrong, but couldn't seem to find the right words, just shook her head, tears in her eyes. She had always wondered what it would feel like for him to touch her, and it was exactly how she had always imagined it: perfect.

"Justin," she choked out, tears starting to fall, "You shouldn't…please don't say that."

He stared at her, his face serious. "Why not? Why should I deserve to live? Why?" Dani sniffled, looking at him helplessly.

"Because…because I'd miss you." As soon as she said it, she wished she could take it back, felt like disappearing. She looked down, avoiding his eyes.

"Oh, Dani," she heard him whisper in her ear, and suddenly realized his arm was around her. _This isn't happening_, she thought vaguely, closing her eyes. _It cannot be happening_. _It has to be a dream_…

"Dani, you don't know me," he said softly, his lips grazing her neck, feeling her shiver. He put both arms around her and pulled her into a hug. She whispered something so softly that he almost missed it. "What's that?" he asked, his hand sliding up to the back of her neck. He felt her shiver again and squeezed her tighter.

"I said…I know. I know I don't. But I want to," she confessed in a whisper, leaning her face against his chest. She looked up at him, alarmed to see how close his face was to hers. He looked down at her and smiled sadly.

"Ok," Justin said softly, and leaned to kiss her forehead. He could still feel her trembling. "Ok, Dani. Just don't be surprised if you don't like what you see." She looked back at him blankly, as if she didn't understand what he was trying to say.

"I'll risk it," she said hoarsely, making him smile again.

"Thank you," he said to her. "I'm glad."

Now, as Dani lay on her bed, forcing herself to stop spying on Justin through her curtain, she tried to make sense out of her feelings for him. Tomorrow he would be moving into his new room at the hotel, and beginning his new job. That meant that she would probably never see him again at all, she thought miserably. _Why do you care, Dani? He's a bad person._ The thought came unbidden to her mind. _No,_ her other voice countered fiercely. _He's not. He's just_…She groaned inwardly. _Just what? Just what, Dani? Is it that you feel sorry for him? Or is your self-esteem so low that you're crushing on an x-con, a guy who murdered a woman in cold blood…a killer who…_ Suddenly Dani felt sick, and she jumped off the bed and ran into the bathroom, barely making it before she threw up everything she had eaten that day, which wasn't much. Glad Justin was outside and couldn't hear her, she gasped, and wiped her mouth with a tissue.

"Dani? Danielle, are you ok in there?" she heard Aunt Cassie call as she rapped on the bathroom door. Dani closed her eyes.

"Yes, Aunt Cassie, I'm…fine," she said, her voice breaking as she started to cry. Cassie opened the unlocked door and when she saw Dani kneeling on the floor by the toilet, she ran over to her and pulled her into an embrace.

"What is it, baby? What's wrong? You're sick?" she asked, brushing Dani's hair away from her face. Dani shook her head, unable to stop sobbing, unable to speak.

"Dani, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong," Cassie said, rubbing her back gently. Dani shuddered and sniffled into the tissue Cassie handed her.

"I don't know what's wrong. I think I'm about to get my period, that's all. It's nothing," she said, suddenly embarrassed. Cassie stared at her, knowing she was lying, but not wanting to force anything out of her. She had a feeling it had to do with Justin, and her anxiety surrounding his starting his new job and moving. She hadn't missed the way the two had been subtly finding time to talk, thinking Cassie didn't notice their late-night movies and whispered conversations. She looked at Dani sniffling, her eyes red, and sighed, hugging her once more.

"Alright, but you know I'm here if you want to talk about it. I'm going to run to the market now. You should get some rest, you worked all day today. Those kids must run you ragged. And Anna at the Y told me everybody loves you there." Dani grinned weakly at her.

"Not the Director: he chewed me out the other day for teaching the five-year-olds Weird Al lyrics. They were all singing 'Eat It' at the top of their lungs on Monday. They must have been practicing it all weekend." Cassie snorted with laughter as the two stood up. Cassie squeezed Dani's shoulder as the girl picked up her toothbrush and began to brush her teeth, smiling as she walked out of the bathroom.

Dani decided that Cassie was right: she needed some rest. After she finished brushing her teeth, she went back into her room and lay down on her bed once more. She had just closed her eyes when there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she said, thinking it was Cassie. When she opened her eyes and saw Justin standing in the doorway, she sat up quickly and swallowed nervously.

"Hey," she said, as they stared at one another. He walked over to the bed. He was holding the mystery novel and he handed it to her. She took it reluctantly.

"You like the book?" she asked weakly. He shrugged.

"To be honest, I couldn't really get into it. Are you ok? Cassie just told me you weren't feeling good." Dani blushed and looked down.

"I'm…fine. Just tired is all." She snuck a look at him. "You all set to move into your new place?" she asked hesitantly. Justin smiled and nodded.

"I think so." He slowly sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. "Dani, I wanted to say something to you." Dani's face fell, and Justin put his arm around her and sighed.

"No…it's nothing bad, don't look so serious. I just wanted to say thank you for being so nice to me and hanging out with me while I'm here. I'm sure you had a lot of better things to do," he said, looking at her carefully. Dani stared at him, not knowing how to respond.

"Well…it's…you're welcome. It was…I mean…" she struggled to finish her sentence as Justin watched her, smiling slightly. She gave up trying to talk and started biting her nails, nodding at him. "S'ok," she added nervously.

"I also wanted to know if…and it's ok if you say no, but I wanted to know if you still wanted to hang out after I move. I understand if you don't, you'll probably get lynched by everyone in this town if you do, but I guess I just wanted to tell you that…" he paused and took a deep breath, looking down at the floor, "I just wanted you to know that if you ever need me, I'm here for you." He cautiously looked up at her, and was struck by the look of wonder on her face.

"Justin…" she began, shaking her head, "Justin…I…yeah. Yeah, I still want to hang out," she finished, feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her. His eyes lit up.

"Really? You don't have to say that, you really don't, if you…" Dani shook her head.

"Justin: I'm saying it because it's true. I want to still be friends. I don't care what anyone thinks…that doesn't matter to me. But…" she paused and blushed, looking away.

"But what?" Justin asked, reaching for her hand. "What is it, Dani?"

"But…why do you want to hang out with me?" she asked shyly, still refusing to meet his eyes. Justin laughed and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek.

"Because I like you," he whispered in her ear. Dani suddenly felt as if her whole body was electrified. _He likes me?_ she thought in disbelief. She snuck a look at him, to see him grinning at her. He laughed again.

"You're looking at me like I'm nuts. Who wouldn't like you, that's the question." She looked at him skeptically and he squeezed her hand again, standing up and pulling her with him.

"Come on, want to go for a walk? Or are you too tired?" he asked. Dani stared at him, thinking to herself with a mixture of excitement and dismay, _I think I'd go anywhere with you, Justin. I really think I would… _


	4. Kiss

"Ok, son, I'll expect to see you bright and early tomorrow, so get some sleep, alright?" Dusty, the maintenance supervisor at the hotel said to Justin. He had just finished showing Justin to his room and explaining the conditions under which he would live on the hotel premises. Justin still couldn't believe he had a place of his own. True, it was a hotel room, with only a small kitchenette and an even smaller bathroom, but it was his: his first place. He had free cable and a DVD player too, all the rooms did. A far cry from the mansion he had grown up in, but for some reason he loved it. He nodded to Dusty as they shook hands.

As Justin started to unpack what little clothes and belongings he had, he couldn't get Dani out of his mind, the look in her eyes this morning when he had left with Cassie and his stuff to move into the hotel. She had looked so sad to see him go. _What's wrong with her_, he thought in amazement, shaking his head. _Why would anyone be sad to see me go? _

But it was obvious she still had feelings for him. He closed his eyes, suddenly feeling a pain that was almost physical, it hurt so badly. _It could never normal with us, though_, he thought, his heart heavy. _Someone like Dani could never really want to be with me, not really. She's clean, innocent. How could I allow myself to contaminate her life with what I did, with who I am? She's…_

Just then he heard a light rapping at the door to his room. He walked over and slowly opened the door. When he saw Dani standing there, struggling to hold up a big paper bag that looked as if it were about to break, his mouth fell open in surprise.

"Dani…" he said, starting to smile. "What are you doing here?" She shrugged, embarrassed.

"Oh, well, you know, I just thought you might not have time to go out and get stuff your first night, and I had some time, so…" she trailed off as she stepped forward and handed him the bag. "Here, want to take this before I break everything in it?" she asked.

Justin took the bag and looked in it: he could see that it was full of food, kitchen supplies, and some books and movies among other things. "Dani," he said softly, "You didn't have to bring me anything. Thank you. Come in." The two walked into the small room where Justin set the bag down on the small table in the kitchenette.

"Oh, well, you know, it's nothing…I was just on my way home from work, you know…" she said, folding her arms across her chest nervously, avoiding his eyes.

Justin opened the bag and started taking things out. "Awesome, you brought me movies, books. Thanks, Dani. Wow," he said, laughing, holding up a box of Lucky Charms and setting it next to the half gallon of milk that she'd brought. "My favorite: how did you know?" he said, grinning at her. She blushed and smiled at him shyly.

"Lucky guess, I guess," she said, and he laughed.

The next thing Justin pulled out of the bag was a small round object with colored string woven through it, beads and feathers hanging from it too. _A dream-catcher_, he thought, and looked at Dani in amazement. "You brought me a dream-catcher," he said to her softly. She scratched her nose nervously and looked down.

"Yeah, well, you know, it's kind of stupid: I made them with the kids today at camp, and you know, it's good to make one with them so they can see how…and…stuff…" she finished, looking as if she wished she hadn't brought it in the first place.

"You mean you made this for me?" Justin asked quietly. Dani looked up at him helplessly and nodded. Justin gently turned it over in his hands, examining it with amazement. He fingered the blue and red feathers, the black and yellow beads. "I love it, Dani. Thank you," he whispered, smiling at her. They stared at each other for a moment before Justin walked over to her and stood before her, putting his hands on her shoulders. He heard her breath catch in her throat and felt her stiffen. He smiled down at her, loving the expression of uncertainty in her eyes. He sighed and brushed a lock of her hair away from her face.

"You're so nice to me," he murmured softly, wanting so badly to kiss her but not wanting to do anything foolish. He smiled as she shrugged again, embarrassed.

"Naw, it's nothing," she mumbled, moving away from him nervously, looking around the place.

"I like it," she said, approvingly. "It's not big, but that's ok: less work and cleaning up and stuff, right?" She turned to smile at him and he grinned.

"Yeah, that's one way to look at it," Justin said, chuckling. "I'm sure I won't be having many visitors, anyway. You're my first one, obviously. Will you hang out awhile? Or do you have to get home?" he asked, trying not to sound as lonely as he felt.

"I can stay for a little bit, if it's ok," Dani said, sitting down on one of the armchairs by the TV. "So you think you have everything you need? Aunt Cassie told me to ask you, said she can help you out with anything." Justin came and sat down in the chair across from her and shook his head.

"No, I think I'm all set. Food, entertainment, and a cute girl. I think that covers all the basics," he said with a smirk. Dani immediately turned a fierce shade of pink and cleared her throat nervously.

"Oh? I guess I'd better leave before she gets here," she choked out. Justin laughed.

"Funny," he said. "I meant you." She forced herself to look at him and he smiled at her baffled expression.

"I think you'd better make an appointment with your optometrist," she said, finally managing a shy grin. He shook his head, still laughing.

"Can I show you something?" Justin said suddenly. Dani's face paled visibly, but she nodded bravely.

"Sure," she said, her voice cracking nervously. For some reason she was incredibly afraid to see anything he had to show her. Justin stood up and walked over to the desk, picking up an old shoebox. He took it over to the bed and started rummaging through the papers and photos in it.

"What's that?" Dani said, curiosity overcoming her nervousness, as she got up from the chair and sat on the bed next to him.

"It's a box of stuff that Cassie got for me: stuff in my desk at my mom's house," he said quietly.

Dani felt a stab of sorrow for Justin. _Imagine your own mom not standing by you_, she thought sadly. _I'd have stood by you, Justin,_ she thought fiercely, staring at him as he looked through the papers. _Justin, I love you,_ she thought suddenly, no longer caring if it made sense or not, just glad to be here, next to him. In that one moment, Dani felt all of the bad thoughts of Justin and his past slip away, and she was once again 16 years old, staring at him in Chemistry class, trying to imagine what his lips would feel like on hers. He glanced at her suddenly and smiled at the expression on her face. Dani blushed and looked away, embarrassed to be caught watching him so intently.

"Are you ok?" he asked softly. She nodded, still avoiding his eyes.

"Would you read this, please, and tell me what you think?" Justin asked, something unreadable in his voice.. He pressed a piece of notebook paper into her hand. She looked down at the paper and gasped. It was old, the edges worn, as if it had been read many times, the writing on it blurred because it had been written in pencil. Her hands shook as she smoothed the paper out and tried to read it through the tears that were forming in her eyes, tears of both amazement as well as embarrassment.

_Your eyes make me weak,_

_And your voice makes me shiver._

_Your smile makes me ache._

"You wrote that, didn't you?" Justin whispered, his hand closing on hers, which was shaking. She looked up at him and shook her head fiercely, tried to deny it, but the memory was so clear all of a sudden, and as she looked into Justin's blue eyes, that were looking back at her so kindly, with such excitement, she was once again transported back in time…

_As she slipped the note into his English Lit. book, her heart pounded with fear. She wondered what had possessed her to do something so stupid, so juvenile, as to give Justin Pendleton an anonymous love poem. _A really bad poem, no less,_ Dani thought to herself frantically. She would never have a chance with him, why was she even bothering, risking humiliation. Not only were his SAT's at least 500 points higher than hers, but he practically didn't even know she existed, only was reminded when that asshole Richard Haywood made fun of her. _

_Dani sighed as she closed the book, knowing that if she didn't at least tell Justin in some way, tell him how much she loved him, she would die keeping it bottled up. Suddenly she heard voices, and panicking, she dove out of view and behind one of the stacks in the reference section. He was coming back from the computers on the other end of the library. As Dani peeked through the bookshelf, her face fell in dismay as she saw who was with him: Richard. _Oh, please don't let him find it until he gets home_, she prayed silently, watching the boys sit back down at their study table._

_Her heart beat faster as she saw Justin reach for his English book. Her heart seemed to stop, actually stop as he paused, pulled out the piece of loose leaf paper and examine it, a curious expression on his face. Suddenly Richard yanked the paper out of his hand. "What's this, loser?" he said suspiciously. _

"_Give it back, you asshole," Justin snapped, trying to grab the paper back. Dani listened and watched, mortified, as Richard read it out loud. _I can't watch, I just can't_, she thought as she quietly slipped behind the reference section and out the library exit, feeling her whole body shake. _What did I just do?_ She thought numbly…_

Justin stared at the expression on Dani's face, as she looked down at those three little lines written so long ago, and he knew that it was Dani who had written them. Richard had been right…

_Justin had given up trying to grab the paper back from Richard and was listening to him read it, starting to blush slightly, a grin beginning to form on his face. Richard finished reading it and smirked at him, handing it back to him._

"_Guess you've got a secret admirer, Pendleton," he said and both boys laughed. "And I'll bet I know who it is…" Justin rolled his eyes. _

"_Would you leave that poor kid alone? I don't know why you pick on her so much. I think she's cute…and I doubt she wrote this. This was written by…" Justin looked down at the paper again and smiled. "Someone who…well," he said thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow at Richard. "Maybe she did write it? Wow. If she did…" _

"_Then she wants you bad, my brother," Richard finished for him, slapping him on the shoulder. Justin sighed as he read the poem again. _

"_She doesn't know me. She only thinks she does," he murmured. "If she really knew me, she wouldn't have written this…" _

Dani handed the paper back to Justin, still unable to look him in the eye. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

"I know it was you. Do you know how I knew for sure?" he asked her. She shook her head miserably.

"It was when I saw the handwriting in the front of one of the books you lent me, last week. And that's why I asked Cassie to get this box of stuff, because I knew your poem was in it. I was so glad that my mom didn't throw this stuff out. It was still there. The sweetest thing: it made my heart hurt," Justin finished quietly. Dani began to bite her nails furiously, still refusing to look at him.

"Dani, please look at me," Justin said gently, reaching to touch her face. She pulled away from him and stood up from the bed, turning her back and folding her arms tightly over her chest.

"No," she said stubbornly, sounding like a child who had been asked to apologize. Justin smiled as he got up from the bed and walked over to stand behind her.

"Dani," he leaned to whisper in her ear. She closed her eyes as she felt his breath on her neck, feeling herself start to melt into him. He wrapped his arms around her and suddenly she was turning to him, burying her face blissfully into his chest. _He smells so good_, she thought to herself as he held her tightly.

Justin closed his eyes as he felt her heart beating wildly against his. He didn't know hugging someone could ever feel so good. He smiled, leaning to kiss Dani on top of her head. She was clinging to him as if she was afraid to let him go.

"Why didn't you ever tell me? Why were you so secretive?" he asked, pulling back to look down at her. She looked up at him guiltily.

"Because…because I didn't think you'd want it to be me," she whispered. "I thought…I thought if I left you that poem, you would just think it was someone else, someone maybe that you really liked, and you'd feel good about it, and it would make you happy. And…knowing you were happy and that I made you happy, even if you didn't know it was me…and that... well, that was enough for me." She finished, her eyes pleading with him.

Justin stared down into her dark eyes, and leaned closer to her, until he could feel her breath on his lips.

"Dani," he whispered. "Can I please kiss you?" She stared back at him, wide-eyed, frozen. "Please?" Justin whispered again, leaning even closer to her. Without answering, Dani closed the gap between them herself, her lips crashing down on Justin's, making him gasp as he pulled her closer to him, winding one hand into her hair, the other gently cupping her cheek as they kissed. After several minutes, their kissing slowed, and they finally broke apart to look at each other, both of their faces flushed, both of them breathing heavily.

"You don't know who I am," Justin whispered, tears in his eyes, as he leaned to kiss her again...


	5. Love

"_No! Please, don't... please Justin! I love you!" Dani sobbed as Justin's hands closed over her throat, pressing harder and harder until little bursts of white stars swam before her eyes, and the dizziness began to take over. Richard stood behind him, smirking as the two struggled. As she caught his eye, he winked at her, taking a drag of his cigarette. _

"_Aww, hear that, Justin? She _loves_ you, isn't that the sweetest thing you ever heard?" Richard laughed, watching him as he squeezed her neck even tighter. Justin stared down at her, not coldly, but almost lovingly as he choked her. _

"_It's all part of the plan," he said softly, leaning to kiss her as everything went black…_

"Dani! Dani, wake up! You're having a nightmare!" Cassie shook her gently and Dani sat up with a gasp, a thin layer of perspiration covering her body. As Cassie put her hand on Dani's forehead she could feel her trembling.

"You're burning up! Dani, what were you dreaming about? You were screaming, something about a plan. You've been having nightmares a lot lately. What's going on?" Dani shook her head, the terror of the dream still fresh in her mind. She could almost smell the smoke from Richard's cigarette...

"It's…it's nothing, Aunt Cassie. Nothing." She smiled at Cassie unconvincingly. _Nightmares, nightmares ever since I started hanging out with Justin, _she thought dully_._

"It's Justin, isn't it?" Cassie said quietly, as if she could read her mind. "You've been going to see him, haven't you?" Dani looked up at her guiltily and Cassie smiled sadly at her.

"Dani, you don't have to sneak around. I'm glad you two are friends. Justin came to see me at the office on his break yesterday. We went out for coffee, and we had a long talk. He told me…" Cassie paused as she looked carefully at Dani. "He told me…that you had come to visit him a couple of times, and asked if it was ok with me if you two spent time together. He said he didn't want to hide your friendship." Dani stared back at her in surprise.

"He did? He said that?" she whispered. Cassie smiled sadly and nodded.

"Yes, he did. And he also told me a lot of other things too." Dani started to speak but Cassie stopped her. "Just listen, Dani. Justin also told me that he didn't understand your feelings for him. Didn't know how you could want to be his friend after what he's done." Dani blushed and looked away. Cassie touched her face gently.

"And what did you say?" she asked guiltily. Cassie sighed.

"Well, I told him that he should count his blessings." Dani looked up at Cassie helplessly. "Dani, Justin is right about one thing: you don't really know a lot about him, and you need to accept his past, face it, not ignore it. What Justin did, the crimes he committed, the time he spent in prison, all of that is part of who he is now. If you have feelings for Justin, all these things are going to be issues in your…relationship. And if you are having trouble dealing with them, you need to talk to someone about it. Do you understand what I'm saying, Dani?" Dani sighed and nodded wearily.

"Yes," she whispered, "I understand." But she didn't really understand. It didn't seem real what Justin had done. _It was Richard_, she thought stubbornly. _If it hadn't been for that monster, none of this would have ever happened. Falling off a cliff was too good for him: far too painless._ Dani just knew that Justin would never have thought of doing something so horrible, for any reason, if it weren't for Richard Haywood. _I hate him_, she thought fiercely. _Hate him for ruining Justin's life…_

"Dani, are you listening to me?" Cassie's words cut through her thoughts. Dani nodded her head and sniffled. Cassie touched her forehead briefly. "Maybe you should call in sick to work today. You feel very warm." Dani shook her head and yawned, getting up from the bed.

"No, I really can't. You know I need the money," she sighed, and Cassie nodded.

"I'm really glad to have you here, Dani," Cassie said softly. "Your mother would have been proud of you. You're a hard worker." Dani smiled weakly at her as she thought to herself, _Yeah, right. I doubt it. Why would my mom be proud of me? I graduated from a crappy community college by the skin of my teeth, I spend my days wiping up popsicle drippings and singing Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, and I'm in love with an x-con. Sure, I'd be her pride and joy. _

"What's so funny?" Cassie said, smiling. Dani hadn't realized she'd been laughing to herself. She shook her head.

"Oh, nothing. Just laughing at myself I guess," she muttered, reaching for her robe.

* * *

Justin stood on the other side of the playground fence as the last of the children left for the day. He had been waiting for Dani when he saw her engaged in what looked like a serious conversation with Bill, the Camp Director. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but Bill had an extremely loud, nasally voice that carried across the playground, and he couldn't help but hear.

Dani's back was to Justin so she didn't notice him, but from her body language, her head hanging and her arms crossed tightly, he could tell she was getting chewed out. _What did you do, Dani?_ Justin thought with a smile. Cassie had mentioned to him that Dani was sort of the class clown of the camp counselors. It only made her even more appealing to him, and he listened to Bill reprimand her with amusement.

"Dani, last week it was Weird Al. I'm still getting complaints from some parents that their five-year olds are singing Eat It at the dinner table." Dani snickered, and Bill threw his arms up, exasperated. "Not funny, Dani! But when I walked into the gym to find you and the third-graders engaged in a private screening of _This is Spinal Tap_, I was a bit irritated. Just what do you think that is teaching the children, Dani?"

"Uh…rock history?" Dani said sheepishly. Justin stifled a laugh. Bill shook his head wearily and sighed.

"Dani, you're a good worker, and the kids adore you. But please stick to the movies that are provided: we've got _Cinderella_, _Toy Story,_ show them _Wizard of Oz _if you want a cult classic, but no more _Spinal Tap_. Got it?" Dani nodded, looking down. Bill patted her on the shoulder. "Have a good weekend, Dani. See you Monday."

"Bye, Bill," Dani said as she turned to walk over to the gate. Justin cleared his throat and she looked up. When she saw that it was him she smirked, looking back at Bill, who was walking to his car.

"You saw me get yelled at?" she said, giggling. Justin laughed.

"Yeah. I did. If I were the director, I would've given you a raise. _Spinal Tap_ is a classic." Dani nodded as the two walked out of the yard together.

"That's what I was trying to tell him. I'm doing those kids a favor, I think," she said with a sigh.

"So, I wondered if I could talk to you if you have some time," Justin said quietly. Dani looked at him nervously, sensing something serious in his tone.

"Is everything alright?" she asked, suddenly feeling cold. Justin didn't answer right away and Dani started to panic. _He doesn't want to see me anymore_, she thought worriedly. _I knew this would happen._ She suddenly felt his arm around her shoulder. As always, when he touched her it felt like an electric shock. Since the beginning of the week, when they had kissed, they hadn't done much more, just a kiss here and there, mostly they had just talked and walked together, holding hands, sometimes sitting and just holding each other.

For Dani, it was exactly where she wanted to be. All she thought about was how good it felt to be near him, after dreaming about it for so many years. She didn't want to talk about what had happened. And Justin never said much to her, never said anything about his past, not the scary parts. Only sometimes when they did kiss he got so sad, and would repeat over and over that she didn't really know him.

But Dani felt she did. She could feel, deep down, that she knew him, and that he was good. She didn't want to think about anything but his hand in hers, her head on his shoulder, her lips on his. Now, as she glanced at the sober expression on his face, she somehow knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

As the two approached the hotel and walked up the two flights of stairs to his room, as they had several times in the last week, Justin's expression got even more distant. By the time they walked into the room and Justin closed the door behind them, Dani's palms were starting to sweat and her heart was pounding in her chest. She watched as Justin turned to her and just stood there, staring at her, his expression blank.

"Justin, what…what is it? Did I do something wrong?" she whispered, feeling frozen to the spot. Justin shook his head slightly, his eyes boring into hers. Dani felt tears sting at her eyes and fought to hold them in.

Finally Justin spoke, and when he did, her heart sank.

"Dani, I want to talk to you about what I did," he said quietly but firmly. "Because you need to hear it." Dani felt fear wash over her body. She shook her head.

"No…no," she whispered. "I don't want to. I don't care…" Justin stepped towards her, and she saw his face change. He looked like a different person all of a sudden. Someone ancient, someone from another world, another time. She almost didn't recognize him as he continued.

"Yes, Dani. You need to hear it. You're infatuated with me." She gasped and started to deny it, tell him it wasn't that at all, but he stepped over to her and put his finger to her lips. "Shhh. Don't say anything. Just listen, Dani, ok?" Dani nodded miserably, trying not to cry.

"You are. You're infatuated with me, and it feels good." He leaned to brush his lips against hers. "Doesn't it feel good?" he breathed. Dani felt her whole body heat up as Justin stared at her, feeling as if he could read her mind. "I want you, too, Dani." Dani looked at him, trying to take in what he was saying, feeling as if she were about to faint, clenching her hands at her sides to keep them from shaking. "I can't stop thinking about you, can't get you out of my head," Justin whispered. He gently touched the tip of her nose, his expression softening. "Cute little nose, I love it," he murmured softly. Dani felt herself blush, her body betraying her thoughts, and she closed her eyes as Justin smiled, lightly stroking her cheek. He sighed and continued. "But Dani, you need to understand what I did, because I can't take it back. No matter if I served my time or not, I'm a killer. I killed a person, Dani. I killed a person and nobody can…"

"No!" Dani said, her tears starting to fall as she strode over to the door. "It wasn't you- it was only because of Richard, I know it, I know he made you…" Justin seemed to growl deep in his throat, and grabbed her wrist roughly before she could reach for the doorknob. Dani hissed in pain, her eyes wide with fear and surprise when he didn't loosen his grip. She felt the hairs at the back of her neck stand on end when she heard Justin chuckle bitterly, saw the cold look in his blue eyes.

"No, Dani, it wasn't Richard: it was me! Richard learned everything he knew from _me_, not the other way around!" Justin let go of her wrist and grabbed her arm, forcing her over to the bed and pushing her down on it. Dani whimpered as Justin climbed on top of her and pinned her down by her shoulders. She had, over the past week, ached to be on this very bed with Justin, but not like this: not with him holding her down so angrily, looking at her so wildly, panic in his eyes.

"Stop pretending, Dani!" Justin hissed, as he shook her, making her head rock back and forth with the force. "Stop pretending I'm some victim, when I'm not! Do you want to know something, Dani? You want to know something? I loved Richard! I never met a person who thought so much like me, who had the same feelings as I did. We were so proud of ourselves! We planned it together for months, Dani. And sometimes I miss him!" Dani shook her head at him, the tears falling fast down her cheeks. "Yes! Yes, Dani, I do! Nobody could ever understand me like Richard did, and I miss him, so help me I do!" The look of panic in Dani's eyes matched his, and as his hands closed over her throat, just like in her nightmares, Dani began to sob in earnest.

"Like this, Dani, do you see?" Justin said through gritted teeth, as his hands squeezed her throat tighter and tighter, Dani whimpering and struggling. "This is what I did: I took a life, just like this. Now tell me, you still want me now?" Suddenly Dani went limp, giving up, and only then did Justin loosen his grip. As soon as he did Dani scrambled out from under him and ran to the door. Justin jumped off the bed and followed her. Dani's eyes were red from crying, and she was visibly shaking as she fumbled with the doorknob, trying to open it.

"Oh, Dani," Justin said, his voice breaking as he too began to sob. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you…" he approached her and held out his hand to her. She stared at him, looking lost, but slowly walked over to him and allowed him to take her in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, I would never hurt you...I swear I wouldn't, I just wanted you to understand," he murmured, his sobs mingling with hers. As he held her, gently stroking the back of her neck, she felt her fear drain away, and she let out a long, trembling sigh as she leaned against him.

"Justin," she whispered, and he squeezed her tighter.

"Yes, baby, what is it?" he asked softly, sniffling. _He called me baby_, she thought and couldn't help smiling through her tears.

"Justin, I can't help the way I feel," she whimpered. "I can't help it." Justin sighed deeply and pulled her over to the bed again, this time all the anger gone and replaced with the gentleness Dani had seen previously. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently tugged her onto his lap, where she wrapped her arms around him. He nuzzled his nose against her neck, feeling her shiver, and he smiled.

"I know you can't help the way you feel. I don't want you to help it," he whispered into her ear. "I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't see you, the way you look at me," he said, tilting her chin up so that she was looking at him. He smiled at her before he leaned to kiss her gently, pulling her down on the bed with him. They lay there and gazed at one another in silence. Finally, Justin spoke.

"I dream about you," he confessed, smiling at her look of surprise.

"You do not," she said skeptically. He laughed softly. "Yes, I do," he insisted.

"What kinds of dreams?" Dani asked in wonder. Justin smiled at her, amused, and she blushed. "I mean…sorry. It's none of my business," she said, embarrassed, looking away. Justin sighed and pulled her towards him, tangling his legs up in hers.

"I'm sorry, Dani," he whispered again into her ear. "I'm so sorry I scared you." Dani looked at him helplessly and shook her head.

"Justin," she said softly. "It's ok. I…" _I love you, Justin_, she thought silently, thinking it so hard as she looked into his eyes, willing him to hear it, even though she couldn't say it. She thought it so hard that she almost didn't hear the next question he asked her.

"Dani," Justin whispered, "Do you love me?"


	6. Desire

"Dani, this is Lisa. She'll be assisting you for the rest of the summer." Dani looked up from the moat she was digging around the colossal sand castle that she and the Burgess twins were building and her breath caught in her throat. _Lisa_, Dani thought, suddenly feeling sick. The blond girl smiled down at Dani.

"Hi, didn't we go to High School together?" Lisa asked as Dani glared at Bill before he walked over to a group of counselors by the swings.

"Yes," Dani muttered. "Yes, we went to High School together." She sighed.

"Is something wrong?" Lisa asked, raising an eyebrow. _God_, Dani thought, annoyed, _she still sounds like we're all supposed to celebrate when she walks into the room._ Dani couldn't help remembering that Lisa had hung around both Justin and Richard in the months before she had moved away with her Dad_. She slept with both of them,_ Dani thought to herself, feeling sick. Lisa had been, in High School, the exact opposite of Dani: Lisa was beautiful and confident, and Dani felt a stab of jealousy when she thought of how intimate she must have been with Justin, not to mention one of the key witnesses in Justin's trial. Cassie had told her of Lisa's involvement in the case, and Dani had wondered if she ever would turn up, try to contact Justin.

Now, as Dani eyed Lisa suspiciously, she wondered if the girl even knew Justin was here in town. Dani's heart sank as she imagined Justin's reaction to seeing her. Justin and Dani hadn't gotten any further than kissing, not that Dani didn't fantasize about making love to him approximately a million times a day, but it seemed the right thing to both of them to take it slow, and Dani was glad, since she was inexperienced to say the least. Now, as she looked at Lisa, her inexperience made her feel positively inadequate. _What would Justin want with me, if he can have her?_ she thought miserably, as she took in Lisa's body, which was still perfect, her flirtatious smile, and her trendy clothes. Dani felt like she was 12 years old next to Lisa in her ponytail, ripped jeans and Pink Floyd t-shirt.

"No," Dani sighed. "No, nothing's wrong. Let me know if I can help you out at all, ok?" Lisa sat down on the edge of the sandbox and looked around the playground.

"Thanks. I'm glad there's someone here I know. Do you hang out with anyone we went to school with?" Lisa asked conversationally, as little Sean Burgess began pouring sand onto Lisa's manicured, Jimmy Choo flip-flop-clad foot. She glared at the boy and yanked her foot away. Dani tried to hide her smirk.

"Ah…not really," Dani said quietly. You're _crazy if you think I'm going to be the one to tell you Justin's here_, she thought defiantly as she stood up, brushing the sand off of her jeans. "Want me to show you around? Give you a tour?" she asked Lisa reluctantly.

"Alright," Lisa said, as the two walked across the playground together. Dani wished Lisa would just shut up, but she continued to try and make conversation as Dani showed her the playground, the pool, and the recreation hall.

"So you're here for just the summer, Bill told me?" Lisa asked. Dani nodded.

"Yeah, maybe. Depends," Dani said quietly. Lisa nodded.

"You're Detective Mayweather's niece, aren't you?" Dani looked at Lisa blankly.

"Yes." She said, trying to keep the edge out of her voice. Lisa continued.

"So, you know Justin's back," she said to Dani. Dani stopped walking and looked down briefly before meeting Lisa's eyes, which were bright with interest.

"Yes," Dani said, her voice cracking nervously. "Yes, he's back. Why do you ask?"

Lisa tossed her hair and laughed. "Oh, just curious, that's all. I wouldn't mind seeing him. I'm sure he's not too popular around here, maybe he could use a friend." She paused suddenly when she saw the stony look on Dani's face.

"Oh, I see," Lisa said suddenly, as if it had just dawned on her, and as if it were the most amusing thing she had ever heard. "_You're_ friends with Justin. Am I right?" Dani just stared at her, not answering. Lisa shook her head and smirked at Dani.

"What, did I say something wrong?" Dani cleared her throat and took a deep breath.

"No, no it's fine. Yes, we're friends," Dani said, wishing with all her might that Lisa would drop dead on the spot and stop asking her about Justin. _She hasn't changed a bit,_ Dani thought, trying to control her anger, suddenly remembering how much she used to hate Lisa...

_Richard and Lisa giggled and whispered together as Dani walked over to Justin's lab table which was right next to theirs. They watched her stare at Justin nervously as he smiled back at her. Both Justin's and Dani's lab partner were absent, so Mr. Hayden had assigned them to work together, to Dani's obvious alarm. "How long before she breaks one of those vials?" Richard said to Lisa, snickering. _

_Lisa laughed. "I know, she's shaking like a leaf," Lisa said, both of them watching Dani with amusement. Justin glared at them. _

"_Will you two shut up and leave her alone?" he whispered to them in an undertone as Dani slid into the seat beside him, accidentally knocking his chemistry book off of the table with her elbow. _

"_Sorry," Dani muttered, leaning to pick up the book for him. Justin grinned at her. _

"_It's ok. I'm glad you're my lab partner today." He leaned over to her and whispered softly, "Peter Evans has really bad breath: you're way better." Dani blushed and, avoiding his eyes, began to furiously fill out the top of her lab report sheet. She glanced over at Richard and Lisa, who were snorting with laughter. _

"_I'll bet she'd like Justin to tutor her in Chemistry," Lisa said loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. Richard laughed. "You mean Anatomy," Richard added. The class snickered to Dani's embarrassment. She snuck a look at Justin, who was trying not to smile. As she looked over at Lisa, she happily pictured her violent death. _

Now, as Dani glared at Lisa, the blond girl smiled at her knowingly. "You still have a crush on him, don't you?" Dani felt her jaw clench and she fought to control her anger.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not discuss Justin," she said quietly. Lisa giggled.

"Why not? From what I remember, he was quite the cutie. I wouldn't mind hanging out with him again." She winked at Dani smugly. "We had some fun times, me and Justin. And maybe he learned some new tricks in prison…"

"You bitch, shut the hell up," Dani snapped, taking a threatening step towards Lisa.

"Calm down, Dani," Lisa said, still smiling. "I was only joking. Wow, you really do still have a crush on him. I remember you had it so bad for him, you used to practically pass out when he walked by you." Her face softened when she saw Dani start to tremble.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry: forgive me. Is he alright?" Lisa said apologetically. Dani took a deep breath and nodded, looking down.

"Yeah. Yeah, he's alright," she said quietly. She looked up when she felt Lisa's hand on her shoulder.

"I really am sorry," Lisa said to her. "I was out of line. It's not something to joke about. Tell him I said hi, ok?" Dani stared at her and sighed. She nodded wearily.

"Ok. I'll tell him," she said.

* * *

"Lisa," Justin said, surprise in his voice. She grinned at him.

"Hey Bonaparte," she said, and he smiled at her.

"How did you know I was here?" he said quietly. It was the next morning and Justin was getting a coffee at the donut shop across the street from Drake's. Justin had to admit it was nice to see a familiar face that seemed glad to see him. It wasn't the easiest thing to deal with the dirty looks and stares he often got around town. Although he spent most of his time at home, or hanging out with Dani, he still had to buy food, still had to keep his appointments with his doctor and parole officer. He was shocked to see Lisa. _She hasn't changed,_ he thought with a smile. _Still calling me Bonaparte_. Lisa had been a character witness in his parole hearing, and had signed an affidavit stating that she witnessed Richard's manipulation, not to mention his mother's physical abuse. He sighed as he looked at her, remembering how much he had cared about her, remembering all the dramatic events surrounding her, Richard, and himself.

"Guess who's my supervisor at my new job?" Lisa said with a smirk. Justin stared at her.

"Where's your new job?" he asked.

"At the Y day camp." Justin gasped.

"Not Dani? You're working with Dani? Funny, she didn't say anything about you when I saw her last night. She seemed a bit depressed, actually, left early, said she was tired." Lisa narrowed her eyes at him slyly as he felt himself turn red.

"Bonaparte, you're blushing," she said, and he grinned at her, taking a sip of his coffee. "Are you two an item or what? I knew something was up when I mentioned you to her. She nearly decked me when I made a joke about how you were probably better in bed since you got out of prison." Justin almost choked on his coffee.

"Lisa, you didn't say that to her. Please tell me you didn't," he groaned, trying not to laugh. "That's not funny," he added, shaking his head at her wearily. "Wrong thing to say to Dani. She's shy enough around me as it is," he said, and Lisa smiled at him.

"Really? She didn't seem too shy when she called me a bitch and told me to shut the hell up," Lisa said, amused. Justin's eyes widened.

"Dani said that to you?" he chuckled. "Good for her, you deserved it." They both laughed.

"I know," Lisa said as she walked with him across the street back to the hotel. "I didn't mean to make her mad. You're obviously a sensitive topic with her." She looked at Justin carefully. "I remember she used to really have the hots for you, huh?" Justin blushed again and shrugged.

"She's…special. We've gotten really close in the last few weeks," he said quietly. Lisa nodded and smiled.

"I'm glad, Justin. She's a riot at work. Always doing crazy things with the kids: yesterday at snack-time when she handed out the fig newtons she announced they were having _worm bars, _and that all the famous rock stars loved them. The kids were all screaming and making throwing up noises, but they had a blast eating them." Justin laughed.

"Sounds like Dani," he said. Lisa sighed.

"I feel bad for being bitchy to her. I want to make it up to her. I'm going to see if she wants to hang out with me after work tonight." Justin raised an eyebrow at her.

"Really? Well, good luck with that. Dani can be pretty stubborn," he said, and Lisa didn't miss the affection in his voice. She smiled.

"I remember the way she used to look at you," Lisa said softly. Justin smiled back at her.

"She still looks at me that way," he admitted, blushing once more.

"Well, maybe she'll forgive me, and we can both meet up with you later," Lisa said, winking at him and turning to walk back across the street.

Justin nodded at her and watched her walk away. _So that's why Dani was so distant last night,_ he thought with a sigh. _She's jealous._ He thought to himself how crazy that was: Dani made him happier than he had ever been. Just kissing her, holding her was so exciting it was all he could do to control himself. He would have been lying if he'd said he didn't think about doing more with her, for starters ripping her clothes off and fucking her senseless... Justin closed his eyes and sighed as he thought of how she felt in his arms. He didn't want to ruin anything, though, didn't want to scare her away. He could tell she was inexperienced and the last thing he wanted to do was pressure her into sex. Dani was different than anyone he had ever met: her love for him seemed so pure, so powerful. It made him dizzy, to be honest. Justin smiled. Not that he was complaining.

He remembered her whispered answer to his question the other night. _"Yes, I love you,"_ she had said, her eyes pleading with him. _"Of course I love you." _And when he leaned to kiss her, murmuring into the kiss, "_Oh, Dani, I love you too_," the passion he felt between the two of them was so strong that it almost hurt, and he finally understood what Dani had been trying to say in that poem so long ago.

It feels so perfect that it hurts, he thought with a sigh as he reluctantly began his workday.


	7. Passion

"I am not a lightweight," Dani hissed, grabbing the bottle of rum away from Lisa, who was laughing hysterically. "And would you please be _quiet,_ for God's sake, Lisa! We are not supposed to _be_ here! Do you value your job or what?"

Lisa laughed as Dani took another sip. "Not really," she retorted. "I hate it!" She giggled helplessly as Dani groaned.

Whatever had possessed Dani to agree to hanging out with Lisa, to buying booze for them and getting wasted on the topmost section of the Y's playground climbing structure was beyond her. To make matters worse, Lisa was right: _I am a lightweight,_ Dani thought blearily. She had planned on going to see Justin later on, but now it was obviously out of the question. She was beyond plastered already. She and Lisa had polished off almost the entire bottle of rum, and there was another one stashed in Dani's messenger bag.

"Now, let's continue our game, Rookie," Lisa said, smiling at her wickedly through the darkness. Dani scowled at her.

"Stop calling me that. And I told you, Lisa, I'm not playing your juvenile game anymore." Dani coughed and sniffled, rubbing her nose which was beginning to feel numb.

"Oh, come on, you can't quit now. All that time you've been spending drooling over Bonaparte's hot, hot bod, you need some girl time to cool off," Lisa said, grinning. Dani blushed bright red and glared at her.

"I do not _drool _over him, you imbecile," Dani snapped. "That's not accurate." Lisa howled.

"Oh, yes it is! And I think it's cute. From the sound of it, when I talked to him, he's got it just as bad for you," she said with a wink, draining the last of the bottle. Dani stared at her skeptically.

Just as Lisa was about to throw the empty bottle off the top of the climber, Dani scrambled over to her and grabbed it, snapping, "You idiot! You can't just throw those things wherever you want to! Give it to me!" She grabbed the bottle away from her angrily and shoved it in her bag, taking out the fresh one and handing it to Lisa grumpily. Lisa nodded her thanks with a grin and unscrewed the top. She offered it to Dani first, who accepted it with a sigh. _Well, I might as well get over-the-top wasted now that I've gone this far,_ she thought darkly, taking a big swig of rum.

"Ok," Lisa said, stretching out on the wooden floor of the climber, "I have a good one for you. Truth or Dare: when was the last time you got yourself off to hot thoughts of Justin? And be honest, it's just us girls," she said, laughing. Dani felt herself blush again.

"I'm not answering that. I'll take the dare," she said, sighing. "And how is that topic supposed to _cool me off_, as you put it, I'd like to know?" Lisa laughed delightedly, and Dani grinned at her reluctantly.

"Ok, dare. I dare you to…" Lisa smirked at Dani and raised an eyebrow seductively. "I dare you to kiss me. On the lips." Dani suddenly choked on the sip of rum she had been taking, spraying it all over the floor, herself, and Lisa.

"No way, sicko. Not for a million dollars," she spluttered, shaking her head violently as Lisa laughed.

"You're so homophobic!" Lisa accused her, grinning wildly. Dani glared at her.

"My answer: this morning, ok?" she admitted. Lisa grinned triumphantly. Dani continued. "And for your information, I am not homophobic. I'm just not that into you, Lisa," she said. The two stared at each other for a moment before they both broke up into peals of laughter. They were laughing so hard, literally rolling on the floor, that they didn't hear Justin pull himself up onto the wooden footbridge located just underneath where they were sitting on the climber. As he ducked his head into their hiding place, he cleared his throat. Lisa was the first one to notice him.

"Hey Bonaparte, come to join the party?" she said with a grin. Dani turned to see him standing there and yelped, scrambling up to a sitting position. Justin laughed as he slid over to sit beside Dani. She refused to look at him as he draped his arm around her shoulder and leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"Hey, Dani," he breathed, sending shivers through her whole body as his lips gently kissed the tip of her ear.

"Hey, Justin," she said, her voice shaking.

"Don't let me interrupt your game. I only overheard a little bit, but it sounded interesting," Justin said as Dani began chewing on her fingernails nervously, sending a million dirty looks Lisa's way.

"No." Dani insisted firmly. "It was _not_ interesting, and we were _not_ playing a game. We're not even _friends_, for God's sake." There was a pause before Justin and Lisa burst out laughing.

"Don't lie, Rookie. Everyone knows that only true friends get drunk together in playground tree houses," Lisa said smugly. "And don't be shy: tell Bonaparte that you tried to worm your way out of both the last truth and the last dare."

Dani glared at Lisa, a warning look in her eyes. "I told you to stop calling me Rookie," she said angrily.

"What was the question?" Justin asked innocently, a small smile making it clear that he had indeed heard what it was. Dani continued to glare at Lisa, who shot Justin look of amusement.

"I only asked her…" Lisa began when Dani cut her off in mid-sentence.

"…would you shut the freaking hell _up_, Lisa!" she said frantically. "Come _on!_" she practically begged, motioning to Justin helplessly as if to say please don't do this to me. Lisa and Justin grinned at each other as Dani blushed deeply.

"Ok, Dani. I'll let you off the hook this time." Dani sighed and buried her face in her hands, before looking up at Lisa.

"Thank you," she said, sounding relieved. Lisa smirked and Justin bit his lip, trying not to laugh. He knew Lisa never let anyone off that easy. She continued.

"I won't make you tell Bonaparte the last time you thought of him while masturbating, which was this morning." Dani gasped as both Lisa and Justin tried to stifle their laughter.

"You are evil, Lisa," Justin said softly as he pulled Dani towards him, who hid her face against his neck. He could feel her face burning with embarrassment and he hugged her tightly as he chuckled, shaking his head at Lisa, who looked delighted at the opportunity to humiliate her new friend.

"Dani, I don't know what you're so embarrassed about," Lisa said brightly as Justin let her hide her face against him. "I'm sure Bonaparte is pleased to know you fantasize about him when you…" Dani groaned into Justin's shoulder as Lisa and Justin laughed.

"Please make her stop talking," she whimpered, her voice muffled. Justin suddenly began tickling her sides, and when she giggled and squirmed away from him, he grabbed her, pushing her down so she was lying in his lap looking up at him. They stared at each other and Justin smiled before he leaned down to kiss her gently.

"I think I'll leave you two alone," Lisa said, yawning. She grabbed the second bottle of rum and grinned. "I'll just take this with me, it's obvious you've had enough, Rookie. I'm buying next time, ok?" Dani sighed, closing her eyes as Justin gazed down at her and smiled, brushing the hair out of her face.

"Stop calling me Rookie all the time," Dani murmured, suddenly realizing how drunk she was. "It's making me nauseas." Lisa and Justin laughed.

"I think it's the rum doing that, Dani," Justin said softly as Lisa snickered, winking at him before she climbed down to the ground and started home, still drinking out of the bottle of liquor as she walked.

Dani opened her eyes partway and gazed up at Justin. He smiled down at her.

"Are you gonna make it, Rookie?" he said softly. Dani scowled at him.

"Not you too," she sighed, sitting up and stretching. Justin slipped behind her and began massaging her shoulders. She closed her eyes as he kissed her neck and mumbled, "I can't stand that girl. She's obnoxious and embarrassing. Why is she _like_ that?" Justin laughed before he leaned to kiss her again. Dani sighed as he kissed her, unable to stop herself from melting into him.

"That's how Lisa treats everyone she likes," he said with a smile. "Remember that time in school she told me in front of the whole class that I needed to get laid?" Dani blushed and he laughed.

"And that's another thing," Dani said, sneaking a look at him, embarrassed. "She's so freaking smug about you. She makes me feel…" Dani blushed even more deeply as she struggled to finish her sentence while Justin smiled at her. "She makes me feel like I'm a little kid! _Oh, Dani_, _me and Bonaparte, we had some good times together, hehehe!_" Justin laughed at her impression of Lisa. "I swear to God I'm gonna punch her," Dani sighed and looked down miserably. "She's always reminding me that you guys…" Justin watched Dani, amused, as she stammered, unable to finish. He shook his head and laughed.

"That we what? Dani, Lisa and I never slept with each other." Dani looked up at him in alarm, shaking her head, mortified.

"Stop! I don't care, it's none of my business! It doesn't matter," she cried. Justin sighed and leaned to kiss her softly. She sighed and leaned against him.

"I'm just telling you that we didn't," he whispered, smiling. "Dani, you're jealous. And I love it." She looked at him helplessly and sighed.

"Oh, that's just great," Dani said, exasperated. "I didn't realize that was a good thing." He kissed her forehead softly, leaning his face against hers.

"It is. It means you want me as badly as I want you," he explained with a smile. She rolled her eyes and he laughed softly.

"Well if you were me, you'd be jealous of her too," she said miserably. Justin shook his head.

"You shouldn't be jealous of Lisa," he whispered, pulling her closer to him. He placed a hand over her heart and smiled to feel it beating wildly.

"Why not?" she whispered, her voice shaking. He leaned to gently bite her neck, making her gasp.

"Because you're exactly what I want," he murmured, kissing her deeply.

Dani felt herself start to loose all control. Never before had Justin kissed her so deeply, so passionately. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, feeling the excitement build in both of them.

As Justin ran his hands up Dani's legs, her back, her arms, wanting to touch her everywhere, he could hear her breathing speed up. He was becoming intoxicated with the little noises she was making. They were the cutest sounds he had ever heard. Every little moan, every gasp got him more and more excited. _Don't_ he told himself, _her defenses are down, wait until she's sober._ But he couldn't seem to stop, and he knew in his heart that they both wanted this more than ever.

"Justin," she whispered as his lips traveled to her neck, his fingers gently tracing patterns up her legs.

"Yes, baby, what is it?" he breathed into her ear. "Tell me what you're thinking." Dani gasped as Justin's hand slipped under her shirt to tickle her stomach, before it rested gently on her breast, his thumb teasingly caressing her nipple, which became instantly hard. Dani moaned as Justin's lips found hers. She felt him smiling as he kissed her.

"Dani, I want you so bad," he whispered in her ear. "Do you really fantasize about me?" He felt her trembling as his hands roamed over her body. "Tell me what you think about," he asked asked softly. She whimpered as his hand came to rest on her upper thigh.

"Oh, you know," she said weakly, her expression a mixture of excitement and panic. "Just…just regular stuff." Justin laughed and gazed down at her.

"You look so nervous," he said softly, slowly inching his hand up her jeans. She tried to stifle a moan as his fingers began stroking her between her legs, teasing her through the soft denim of her jeans.

"Oh, that? That's just because…" she gasped as she realized he had unbuttoned her jeans and was beginning to slide his fingers into them. "…that's only because…I don't really know what the hell I'm doing," she said, moaning softly as his fingers made contact with her panties, which were obviously soaking wet.

"Mmm," Justin murmured as Dani squirmed beneath him, whimpering as he softly touched her. "You're doing great," he said, smiling as he leaned to kiss her. His cock began to strain against his own jeans and he shifted restlessly, as his hand slipped into her panties. She groaned as she pressed her face into his shoulder, to his delight whimpering his name, positively writhing beneath his touch.

"Is this what you think about, when you touch yourself, Dani?" he whispered into her ear. He could tell that his words were adding to her excitement and he continued to whisper into her ear as he brought her closer and closer to orgasm.

"Yes," she breathed, shuddering. "Yes, oh God, yeah it is..." Justin smiled, breathing heavily himself, loving how she was so excited, dizzy over the fact that she was about to come so quickly. After just a few minutes, Justin could feel her clutching him even tighter, could feel her starting to shake.

"That's it, Dani: come, right here," he whispered, tickling her clit even faster, making her groan. "Right here in my hand." She groaned suddenly, digging her fingers into his back, her eyes tightly shut to the pleasure. Justin squeezed her tightly as she came, rubbing her back and murmuring into her ear. Her face was buried in his shoulder as she clung to him tightly as the final spasms of pleasure faded. When she had recovered, slowly raised her face to him, looking at him, speechless.

"Did that feel good?" Justin asked her, smiling, leaning to kiss her gently. She made a noise, tried to answer him, but no words came out. He laughed softly.

"I'll take that as a yes," he said, kissing her again. She sighed as they continued to kiss. Justin groaned as Dani hesitantly touched his hardness through his jeans.

"Dani, wait, you don't have to…" Dani cut his words off with another kiss.

"But I want to. Don't you want me to touch you?" she asked softly. He nodded, knowing he couldn't hide how excited he was. As she slowly slid his zipper down, he closed his eyes as she hesitantly wrapped her hand around it. He smiled at her hesitation, as if she were afraid to hurt him. As she began to stroke him gently, he leaned to kiss her, reaching down to guide her hand. Feeling Dani come in his arms, knowing how wet she had gotten just from a little touching and kissing, had brought Justin almost to the edge as it was. Now he knew he wasn't going to last long.

"Am I doing it right?" she whispered nervously. She gasped as Justin stiffened, groaning and climaxing, pushing against her hand and kissing her hard as he came. After a few minutes he opened his eyes and smiled at her. She looked so surprised, so innocent.

"Not bad, Rookie, not bad at all," he said quietly. Dani blushed as she gave him a look, and he laughed, pulling her to him and hugging her tightly.

"But we'd better get out of here, I think. Something tells me that we're breaking about a dozen rules," Justin murmured as he kissed her. Dani gazed up at him, her eyes shining.

"Dani," he whispered, stroking her hair gently. "I love you so much," he said. She sighed and clung to him tightly.

"I love you more," she mumbled into his chest, making him laugh.

"Come on, let's go," he said, kissing her once more.


End file.
